Brandon: Relay for Life

What one young woman is doing in her community

Brandon, MB (CKLQ) - It's time once again for the Relay for Life, an annual event that inspires and brings together the community for a great cause, like one Brandon resident who is making a difference.

Shyloh Brownlee, 29, has been touched by cancer in a multitude of ways in a short time, and has spent the last few years as an active participant at Relay for Life, supporting her family and friends who have received the diagnosis.

Brownlee says her best friend and beloved grandmother Baba were each diagnosed with breast cancer.

She says the family was also mourning the loss of her sister-in-law, who had lost her fight to breast cancer at the age of 30.

As a caregiver to her Baba during her chemotherapy and radiation treatments, Brownlee remember a particularly difficult moment when her grandmother’s hair began to fall out.

“She asked me to shave her head. This moment was heartbreaking for me and more so for her. But, we got out the razor and did it together,” says Browlee. “It was at that moment that I decided to become a part of the solution and figure out how I could help make a cancer free future.”

She has been an active participant in Relay for Life ever since.

This year will mark her third year as a chair member for the Westman Relay for Life.

“The people I volunteer with are my second family and have inspired me to continue to do more,” says Browlee.

Funds raised from Relay for Life go towards fundraising, supporting promising research and vital support services for people with cancer and their families.

The 17th Annual Relay event takes place on June 2 at the Keystone Centre grounds from 3:00p.m. to 11:00p.m.

“Seeing the power of coming together as a community to fight a common cause is worth more than anything,” said Brownlee.